Go For Broke

Go For Broke is a multi-player plinko game designed by Caroline Spivack. The game represents a tounge-in-cheek, social and political commentary on the the causes and effects of the current recession. The "plinko" game style was chosen primarily for its heavy use of chance and luck; much like today's market. While Bernie Madoff is well known for his investment fraud scamming hundreds of Americans, many men and women scam inexperienced investors everyday.

Do to the prevelance of high interest, sliding scale loans our banks are allowed to handout to students; students often graduate from college with little or no money to contribute back into the economy (buying cars and homes). In fact banks often charge pre-interest interest rates before students graduate making the process of paying-off student loans even more difficult. By serverly limiting student's financial resources once they graduate college, banks are sabotaging the economy's intake.

A similar process has attached itself to home owners. Home owners are often forced to take high interest sliding scale rates in order to pay for their homes. Most banks push costly loans toward home owners full well knowing they will end up owing far more money then they have to spare. Unwilling to negotiate the terms of the loan in some cases home owners lose their homes to the bank, leaving the once home owners homeless with little or no money to survive. The concept of greed is a recurring theme with today's economy. With few rules and regulations to keep banks from nickel and dimming citizens they are more than willing to do so.

Side betting is a controversial practice which is heavily blamed for the recent failures in the stock market. Side betting is betting on the success or failure of a companies stocks. In many cases stocks were designed for failure in order for betters to profit. This is an extremely selfish process in which some cases people are profiting off of the complete failures of others. After the depression of 1907 side betting was recognized as a problem and as a result outlawed. History has established side betting as an issue yet it has been allowed to continue in today's market because our economy revolves around greed, and as a result out economy is sending our nation into turmoil.

Covered in bright colors with flashing LEDs Go For Broke effectively lures you into its clutches. Kaho Abe worked with Caroline to wire all LEDs and to code their sequences. Kaho provided technical support as well as contributing to the messages Go For Broke conveys. The addicting repetitive task of sliding in dollar signed pucks can only result in failure, with the slim chance of success. The multi-player winner results in who has accumulated less debt, or rarely, has managed to make it into the positives. Go For Broke manages to be a fun interactive game while highlighting the downsides to our economy.